Jimmy Gentry

COACH JIMMY GENTRY

Coach Carlton Flatt, Mrs. Judy Flatt, Lara Flatt ’04, and Riley, Lara’s daughter, gathered to reminisce about the impact of Coach Jimmy Gentry on their lives.

 

“Coach Gentry was good,” recalls former Brentwood Academy football Coach Carlton Flatt. “He concentrated, he had something to do, and he went out and did it. He was able to take different kinds of people, put them together, and create a situation where they could be successful. He was able to do so many things well, so that’s one thing that drew me to him. He could help you in any way. He just got along with everyone. He pulled people together. Even before he got to BA, he didn’t just do it his way. He would think it might be best to involve some eighth graders, maybe some 10th graders, maybe some seniors. He covered a wide range of people, and I wanted him to be on my team more than anything.

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After seeing a picture of himself with Coach Ray Dalton and Coach Gentry, Coach Flatt reflected, “I wondered how in the world did I ever get beat having helpers like I did. Gave me such confidence.” Former BA faculty member Mrs. Judy Flatt, remembering some of the earlier years of coaching, added, “I remember one game in particular; we were up in Kentucky at one point. We were playing a really good team, and the opponent's coaches came out with matching shirts and everything, and then out comes Carlton with the toboggan cap with a hole in it, Jimmy Gentry, Ray Dalton, and others, all looking hodgepodge, but BA won! This was in the late 80’s, maybe early 90’s. The toboggan was Carlton’s signature hat. Ray wore a toboggan cap too. They finally got matching shirts at one point, but it didn’t happen for a while.”

 

“I remember Carlton saying how Jimmy could be pretty stubborn,” recalled Mrs. Flatt. “There were three stubborn men. They called Carlton iron headed. Anyway, he would tell Jimmy that he wanted such and such done, and he would act like he would agree with him, and then Jimmy would do what he wanted.” Coach Flatt replied, “Yeah. I know. But I would do the same thing. When Jimmy did his way and it came out ok, I left him alone. I’d shut my mouth and walk off. It was a fun group to have because you didn’t have to worry about hurting their feelings.” Mrs. Flatt remembered fondly, “They all had such mutual respect for each other. The camaraderie was so strong that we would all take trips together. We would really have a lot of fun. After the home games I’d have everyone over to the house (coaches and wives) and have pizzas or Subway sandwiches and hang out and talk about the game. If we lost, no. The coaches' wives would all ride together for the games. I got to know Rebecca Gentry, Betty Dalton, Bari Jacobs, and Ann Harris really well. We all had a wonderful time because we’d all go out to eat a nice dinner together before the game.”

 

While reminiscing about Coach Gentry, Mrs. Flatt brought out some drawings, noting that Coach Gentry often created humorous drawings for his close friends. One of these drawings depicts a moment after Coach Flatt had driven through a blizzard to get to a hotel while on vacation on New Year’s Eve, and he couldn’t wait to get back to the room to watch the football game. When Coach Flatt arrived at the elevator in the hotel lobby, with Mrs. Flatt standing with their daughters Lisa and Lara, Coach Flatt jumped to hit the arrow pointing up instead of pressing the button to call the elevator. After hearing this humorous story, Coach Gentry recorded it in a drawing to capture the moment for the Flatt family. Coach Gentry also illustrated the pictures lining the training room at Brentwood Academy and the pictures in his book An American Life, using his artistic ability to document stories throughout his life.

 

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Mrs. Judy Flatt added, “Jimmy was one of Carlton’s best friends, and we know that he loved God, he loved his country that he served during WW2, loved his family, loved his friends, and loved being around people and telling stories and hootenannies. He was always very outgoing. Those hootenannies were the events we had at his barn on his farm–the Kennedy brothers would come out and entertain and bring out some big name entertainers, all have a pitch-in dinner. It started with the coaches and their wives and was really small and just grew and grew. He’d meet someone on the street in Franklin and say, ‘Hey, if you aren’t doing anything, why don’t you come to the hootenanny.’”

 

The Flatt family also remembers how Coach Gentry loved his farm (dubbed “West Heaven” by singer Amy Grant) and shared it with others through his summer camps, strawberry picking, and most recently, the fall pumpkin patch. “One of Coach Gentry’s favorite spots on the farm was the falls, and they put a picnic table back there,” commented Mrs. Flatt. “We would often visit Coach Gentry on Sunday afternoons, and one afternoon Coach Gentry took both of us on his 4-wheeler back to the falls. He was in his 90’s then!” Mrs. Flatt also remembers that children were really drawn to Coach Gentry because “he was really good with them, and he would draw pictures for the kids.” Lara Flatt and her daughter Riley also remembered how Coach Gentry would welcome them to his farm and would let them fish and camp, with many memories made with Coach Gentry over the years.

 

“Everybody loved Jimmy,” said Mrs. Flatt. “He was very easygoing and friendly. Jimmy like to joke and tease a lot; he was a lot of fun.” Coach Flatt concluded, “He was like family.”

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